2000
#10,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,700
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Barrier
A French occupational surname for a gate keeper, toll collector, or someone living near a barrier or gate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,909 Americans carry the last name Barrier. That puts it at #11,802 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,825 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barrier surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Barrier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,825
Census rank
#11,802
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,537 bearers of the surname Barrier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11802nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrier, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barrier
The surname Barrier is of French origin, deriving from the French word "barrière," which means a barrier or obstacle. It is believed to have emerged as a surname during the 12th or 13th century.
The name is thought to have originated in the northern regions of France, particularly in areas like Normandy and Brittany. It may have been initially used as a descriptive surname for individuals who lived near or worked at a barrier or toll gate, or for those who were responsible for maintaining barriers or fortifications.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name Barrier can be found in various medieval documents and records, such as the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Savigny, which dates back to the 12th century. This cartulary, or collection of charters, mentions individuals with the surname Barrier, indicating its existence during that period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Barrier was Jean Barrier, a French nobleman who lived in the late 13th century. He was a landowner and served as a knight in the service of King Philip IV of France, also known as Philip the Fair.
Another notable figure with the surname Barrier was Guillaume Barrier, a French scholar and theologian who lived during the 15th century. He was born in Normandy around 1420 and gained recognition for his contributions to the field of theology and his works on ecclesiastical law.
In the 16th century, Pierre Barrier, a French explorer and navigator, played a significant role in the exploration of the Americas. He accompanied Jacques Cartier on his voyages to the New World and helped map the coastlines of present-day Canada and the northeastern United States.
During the 17th century, the name Barrier was associated with several prominent figures in France. One such individual was Jean-Baptiste Barrier, a French playwright and author who lived from 1638 to 1712. He wrote several successful plays and was known for his satirical works.
Another notable figure from this period was Nicolas Barrier, a French architect and engineer who lived from 1663 to 1739. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings and structures in Paris, including the Palais Bourbon, which currently serves as the seat of the French National Assembly.
As the surname Barrier spread across different regions of France, it evolved into various spellings and variations, such as Barrière, Barriere, and Barrier. Some of these variations can be traced back to specific areas or local dialects, reflecting the diversity of the French language and its regional variations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barrier
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrier, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Barrier bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Barrier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 2,135
- Black or African American7.1% · 179
- Two or more races3.6% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barrier
Barrier appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,002
+302 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 180 places
2020
#11,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,537
-465 bearers (-15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 1,145 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,837 | 2,700 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,657 | 3,002 | 1.02 | +302 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 180 places |
| 2020 | #11,802 | 2,537 | 0.85 | -465 bearers (-15.5%) | Down 1,145 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Barrier surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,657 | #11,802 | -10.7% |
| Count | 3,002 | 2,537 | -15.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.85 | -16.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barrier bearers went from 3,002 to 2,537 (-15.5% change). The surname moved down 1,145 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,657 to #11,802.
FAQ
Barrier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barrier?
Name Census estimates that about 2,909 living Americans carry the surname Barrier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,825 residents.
How common is Barrier?
Barrier ranks #11,802 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,537 people with the surname Barrier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,909), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Barrier.
Has Barrier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barrier went from 3,002 recorded bearers to 2,537. That is a decrease of 465 (-15.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,657 to #11,802.
What does the Census say about the background of Barrier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrier, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Barrier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (2,135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barrier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Barrier (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Barrier mean?
A French occupational surname for a gate keeper, toll collector, or someone living near a barrier or gate. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Barrier (0.85 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Barrier?
See how many Americans have the surname Barrier on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.